The $148.8 million Mandurah Estuary Bridge Duplication has reached a major milestone, with an upgraded structure now enabling westbound traffic to flow, as works continue on the project in Western Australia.

The existing Mandurah Estuary Bridge provides traffic access to and from southern Mandurah and is currently used by more than 33,000 vehicles every day.

A permanent switch of westbound traffic has taken place from the existing bridge structure, across to what will be the new, upgraded and expanded Mandurah Estuary Bridge.

Eastbound traffic will remain as one lane across the old Mandurah Estuary Bridge while new asphalt is laid and other critical maintenance is undertaken, with traffic to be permanently shifted to two lanes in early March.

The entire Mandurah Estuary Bridge Duplication Project is on track for completion by the end of March, with other major construction works progressing.

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These works include a new four-metre-wide shared path under the new westbound estuary bridge, upgrades to the existing path under the old bridge, a new universally accessible fishing platform under the new bridge, three kilometres of noise walls and more amenity walls, vibrant coloured feature lighting; and yarning circles on the east and west foreshores under the bridges.

By opening a second, two-lane bridge on the south side of the existing Mandurah Estuary Bridge, the duplication will slash congestion in Mandurah and Dawesville.

Senator for Western Australia Ellie Whiteaker thanked the community for their understanding and patience during construction.

“The Mandurah Estuary Bridge Duplication Project tackles congestion head-on while creating around 500 local jobs during construction. It will deliver a faster, more efficient commuter and freight route that supports Mandurah’s growing community and economy,” Whiteaker said.

The $148.8 million project is being jointly funded by the Federal and Western Australian governments.